Virtually all screws in use today feature either a slot head (“slot”) or a dual slot head (“Phillips”). Often, one will encounter both types of screw heads in a single area or while performing a single job. For example, when removing kitchen cabinets, it would not be uncommon for the contractor to find that a mixture of slot and Phillips-head screws were used to secure the cabinets to the wall.
In order to address each screw type, the contractor would have to have two separate screwdrivers; one for the standard slot-type head and one for the Phillips-type head. Carrying two separate tools and having to alternate between them is inconvenient. This is especially true when one is not expecting to encounter both types of screw heads and is forced to travel to where their tool collection is located and retrieve a tool they did not originally have in hand for the job.
Several entities have attempted to provide a single tool that can be used on both screw head types. One such attempt is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,778. The tool described in this patent requires a plurality of moving rods members that move longitudinally within a hollow shaft. The rods, which slide forward in the shaft, jointly form the shape of the slot in the head of the screw. However, the device requires the user to spend as much time configuring the shape of the plurality of rods as it would take for one to simply pick up a tool designed specifically for that shape. In addition, the rods are prone to becoming jammed in the shaft.
A second device intended for alternative use with Phillip-head and standard slotted-head screws is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,018. The tool described in this patent features a shank extending from a handle, where the leading end of the shank terminates in a Phillips-head screw engaging bit. The leading end portion of the shank is also bifurcated by a rearwardly extending slot, and an elongated blade tipped with a slotted head screw bit is slidingly disposed along the slot. To select between the Phillips-head configuration and the slot-head configuration, one must manipulate an external nut that engages with a series of gear teeth mounted around the shank. The nut maintains the blade within the slot, and rotation of the nut controls the axial positioning of the blade to positions either forwardly or rearwardly of the Phillips bit. Importantly, this device, in each instance, utilizes only one of its two tips. That is, the slot tip and the Phillips tips cannot be used simultaneously. Also, the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,018 is not instantly configurable, but, instead, requires the user to use both hands to manipulate the nut when a change is required between tip types, making it not much more convenient that simply picking up and using a tool with the proper tip.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,116,775 describes a screwdriver having a head with an opening shaped like a cross to receive four bits or blades. The blades are secured in the form of an integrated cross-shape structure by a compressible collet member. A sleeve is mechanically coupled to the collet member and provides a chuck structure. By rotating the sleeve so that it moves longitudinally on the collet toward the screw-driving end of the blade, the parts are loosened sufficiently to permit free movement of the bits through an opening in the collet. Through manipulation, i.e., twisting the sleeve, the four blades can be moved to a desired position and then, through a second manipulation of the sleeve, secured in that position. Again, this operation requires both hands and concentration to engage the correct blades the desired distance.
No prior-art device is simple in construction and automatically configures itself for the screw head being manipulated. Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.